On the afternoon of July 23, 2007, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Kong Quan met in the office building of the Foreign Ministry with visiting Deputy Chairman of Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of Germany Roland Koch, who is also Minister President of the State of Hessen.

Kong made objective, positive comments on bilateral ties when reviewing their development since the establishment of diplomatic relations 35 years ago and appreciated CDU's contributions to the development of China-Germany ties over the years. He said the German government and CDU attach importance to ties with China and are ready to further strengthen strategic dialogue and cooperation in bilateral and multilateral areas. The two also exchanged views on Germany's cultural activities in China and the Tibet question.

Koch has visited China several times and his current visit is made from July 14 to 24 at the invitation of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs. Besides Beijing, he also visited Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province.

The State of Hessen, located in central Germany, is the fifth largest state in the country. In 2006, its trade with China reached 3.9 billion euros.